Iowa State probably won’t like it, but Gene Smith said it anyway. The former Iowa Sate athletic director (1993-2000) is now at Ohio State. At each place, he tells the Des Moines Register, expectations have to be “consistent with reality.” And that reality is different for the Cyclones than Buckeyes.

At ISU, he said, he wanted the football team to win eight games and beat Kansas and Kansas State. Now? “You need to compare the resources and geography, based on those realistic expectations. And some places don’t do that.”

Ohio State AD Gene Smith says expectations need to be consistent with reality when it comes to programs like his former school, Iowa State. (AP Photo)

Last season, Iowa State was 6-7 (3-6 in Big 12)., including a bowl game loss to Tulsa. The Cyclones were 6-7 in 2011, losing to Rutgers in a bowl game. And in the previous year, 2010, ISU was 5-7.

Smith said it’s hard for schools not on a level playing field financially to keep pace.

“When I think about that type of question, it makes me think about our landscape,” he told the Register. “Because, yes, it was a difficult job at Iowa State. All of college athletics at different levels have to decide their niche.”